Video: Suspect assaults officer, steals patrol car

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - Police have released the dash cam video of an altercation last Friday with a Summerville officer that led to the suspect making off with a patrol car.

In the video, Arthur Lee Thompson, 38, is pulled over by the officer. He immediately becomes agitated and begins to resist, swinging his arms wildly and throwing punches. After a bit of a struggle, he makes a sprint for the patrol car and drives away at a high speed.

The pursuit ends abruptly after roughly three miles when Thompson tries to pass a landscaping truck making a left turn, ramming into it hard and coming to a stop after hitting a fence. Officers then took him into custody.

Fortunately, the officer did not suffer serious injuries despite what Summerville Police Capt. Jon Rogers called a "fairly involved struggle."